If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

2) Mike Moustakas, 3B, Grade B: Trying to decide between a Grade B+ and a straight B for this one. I'm willing to cut him some slack for one more season. He could do much better out of Wilmington.

ACQUIRED: Hak-Ju Lee, SS, Grade B: Fast, gets on base, should hit for average. His glove is good enough that the Cubs have mentioned moving Castro to second base, which tells you something about Lee since Castro has a potentially great glove.

COMMENT: McNutt was signed by the Cubs out of an Alabama JC in 2009, getting an “over-slot” bonus of $115K (“7th Round money“) to go pro. Over the course of one month of the 2009 season and one full season (2010), McNutt has gone 13-2 with a 2.19 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP, allowing just 107 hits and 52/160 BB/K in 144 IP, rocketing through the Cubs system all the way to AA Tennessee by the end of his first full season in pro ball at the ripe old age of 21. He finished 2nd among the Cubs minor league pitchers in strikeouts in 2010 with 132, behind only Minor League Pitcher of the Year Chris Archer. The 6’4 205 McNutt features a fastball that tops out at 98, a hard-breaking slider, and a change-up. He will likely begin the 2011 season back at AA Tennessee, and he projects as a top of the rotation starter or closer at the MLB level

3) Aaron Crow, RHP, Grade B: Want to see some actual pro data before going higher with the grade, but I like him a lot and he shouldn't need a lot of development time.

4) Tim Melville, RHP, Grade B: Needs to sharpen up his command a bit, but projects as a number two starter if everything comes together and he stays healthy.

5) Danny Duffy, LHP, Grade B: I like him a lot, too, although I don't think he has quite as much projection as Melville. Crow, Melville, and Duffy could rank 3-4-5 in any order.

6) Wil Myers, C, Grade B: Love the bat, not sure about the defense. Need more pro data before going higher with the grade.

ACQUIRED: Aaron Miller, LHP, Grade B: Ceiling isn't quite as high as Martin and Withrow, but I like his combination of athleticism, stuff, and better-than-anticipated pitchability.

ACQUIRED: 1) Jarrod Parker, RHP, Grade B-: Would be a B+/A- if not for Tommy John. My policy is to reduce the grade of anyone with TJ until we actually see how they recover. While not as risky as it used to be, it isn't a routine procedure by any means and not everyone recovers properly. That said, Parker is still Arizona's best prospect.

7) Eric Hosmer, 1B, Grade B-: A difficult grade. Will the lasik surgery fix whatever was bothering him in '09? If so, could vault back to the top of the list.

8) Carlos Rosa, RHP, Grade B-: His numbers at Omaha are better than they look, and he has the arm strength to be a solid reliever.

9) David Lough, OF, Grade B-: Borderline C+. Good tools, started to put things together this year, but turns 24 in January and I wish he walked more.

10) John Lamb, LHP, Grade B-: Borderline C+. Has the natural ability to develop as Montgomery and Duffy have, but I'd like some higher level data.

ACQUIRED: Adrian Salcedo, RHP, Grade B-: Best of the pitchability right-handers in a system full of them.

ACQUIRED: Brayan Villareal, RHP, Grade C+: Sleeper prospect, could rank as high as 10th depending on what you want to emphasize. Need some higher level data but he was great at West Michigan.

A couple of things I wanna add after talking with some experienced Mock Offseason guys.

We're going to put a limit on the contracts you can give free agents in the form of 10% more than the maximum contract a position's ever been given. For example, Sabathia's contract was 7 years, 161 million, so the maximum contract you can give a free agent starting pitcher is going to be 110% of that.

Also, in terms of signing free agents, there's going to be a limit on the number of offers a team can make each day. 5 offers the first day, and 3 for each day after that. We're also using the same 3 offer per free agent limit as last year.